The local summary database lets you query the managers, agents, and policies. The local summary database reports how the managers, the agents, and the policies relate to the summary data. The local summary database also reports module message details in the policy runs.

By combining this query function with the dynamic reporting capabilities available in the Integrated Command Engine (ICE) module, you can effectively resolve new vulnerabilities. For example, assume that you receive an advisory that describes a vulnerability in a network resource. Then you can quickly edit the scripts and templates in the ICE module to search for occurrences of this vulnerability. You can narrow the search by running a query on the local summary database.

The local summary database is a component of the ESM console. When the ESM console creates a user account, it also creates a local summary database file for the account. Use the Discretionary Access Control List (ACL) in Windows to secure this local summary database file. See the Windows help for information on accessing the ACL. Only the user who is logged on to the ESM console account should have full control over the file.

The local summary database is a Microsoft Access relational database in .mdb native file format. You can access this database with Microsoft Access or use it as an ODBC data source. If you have compatible third-party software, you can also use the local summary database to produce custom reports. To ensure that the local summary database contains current summary information for reporting or analysis, you must manually synchronize the local summary database with the manager sumfinal databases in the network. Using the enterprise tree, you can choose to upload manager sumfinal database information from a single manager, all of the managers in a region, or all of the managers that are connected to the ESM console.

When analysis or reporting requires module message details, you can use a separate function in the ESM console to upload this information from a single manager, from all of the managers in a region, or from all of the managers that are connected to the ESM console.